


Strange Love

by caesar



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M, True Blood inspired, definitely witches at some point though, possibly other supernatural elements coming into play, vampire!levi, werewolf!eren
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-22 00:20:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10685910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caesar/pseuds/caesar
Summary: This idea came to me while rewatching bits of True Blood, and I decided to come out of my writing slump. Hopefully you enjoy reading as much as I did writing it.FYI, Shiganshina will be a fictional town in the Southern Bell of the United States for the sake of location in this modern day AU.





	1. I Wish I Was the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came to me while rewatching bits of True Blood, and I decided to come out of my writing slump. Hopefully you enjoy reading as much as I did writing it.
> 
> FYI, Shiganshina will be a fictional town in the Southern Bell of the United States for the sake of location in this modern day AU.

Eren wandered.

His feet crunched the leaves he walked upon, eyes scanning the darkness of the woods. He wondered how tonight would fare. All he adorned were ratty shorts, the moonlight reflecting off of his bronze skin; staring up at it, he saw that the moon was climbing higher.

_Any minute now,_ he thought.

On these nights, his mind would stray to the first night he was born again into darkness. *He* was there, the one who found him and took pity upon the poor beast.

And now he was gone, leaving his loyal beast awaiting his return that may never come. Eren wanted to hate him for it, but he couldn't even with all the hurt he festered over the years.

Suddenly, pain shot through his spine and pounded within his skull, and he released a deep scream that melted into a howl.

The full moon was here, and with it came the beast within.

* * *

When the sun rose, Eren found himself a human again on the steps of his back porch.

There was a blanket over him, and he realized he should probably go inside before any neighbors saw him basking in the morning sun while in his own nude glory. The smell of breakfast was more alluring to him anyway.

"Good morning, sunshine," Mikasa greeted without turning away from the stove. She had made an assortment of food for breakfast and was setting plates as Armin came into the kitchen, going first for coffee.

“Did last night go as expected?” Armin asked, sitting at the table and looking at Eren make a plate before joining him. “I saw you fell asleep in your birthday suit on the steps again.”

Eren smothers a bagel in cream cheese, mulling over his thoughts of the night, before answering, “Yeah. Same as usual.” Armin gives Eren a thoughtful look, analyzing the subtle hints of melancholy in Eren’s demeanor; that meant only one thing and it gave Armin mixed feelings within his gut.

“Eren,” he began, glancing at Mikasa, who also picked up on Eren’s answer. “You know, maybe it’s time you found a pack. Company—community—would help—“ Eren stood abruptly, taking his plate with him. He went to the porch again, scarfing his breakfast down. He could hear Armin and Mikasa trying to whisper amongst each other in the kitchen despite that they knew he had an abnormally high sense of hearing.

“ _Eren should quit looking for that bloodsucking scum who left him here without a word._ ”

“ _That’s not fair, he apparently came back into town half a year ago—Eren picked up his scent around the old house—_ “

“ _It’s a damn shame. I don’t care how much Eren loves him, I’ll stake the bastard for leaving him to begin with._ ”

Eren tried to tune them out as he ate, looking over his hands. He stared at the scars on his left hand that formed a half-circle of teeth, the scars that forever reminded him of his first night into darkness.

His first night with Levi.

* * *

Pain.

Pure, excruciating pain.

Eren’s bones cracked and warped, feeling like his entire body was breaking. He could feel his body shifting, the pain all sourcing from his hand even as he was being bitten over and over again.

He rolled around on the ground, screams ripping from his throat, tears streaming as he struggled to see through the pain. He couldn’t see the person who attacked him, but instead a wolf, it’s teeth and claws tearing into him.

There was another shout from somewhere nearby, and suddenly the wolf was gone—he heard a whimper and a painful crack—and then it was silent. He couldn’t hear anything other than his own agonizing screams.

“If you keep shrieking, you’re going to lure the entire pack,” someone said over Eren’s sounds of agony, all of which he heard but couldn’t comprehend in the moment. “Fuck. Hold still!” Suddenly, there was something dripping in his mouth—it was cold, metallic, and oddly…sweet?

A few drops. Hardly any trickled down his aching throat, but it was somehow enough because the pain numbed slowly. He gradually stopped fighting against the firm hand on his chest keeping him in place. He felt a burn all across his skin that was overwhelming, and he felt his mind slip away.

Before he closed his eyes he saw a beautiful figure with dark eyes staring down at him, brows furrowed and a frown set in his lips. Beautiful, but dark. Serious.

He succumbed to darkness, and was born anew.

-

The moonlight always eased Eren’s mind when he was stressed. Full moon nights were a different story, but regular night strolls were relaxing. He could shift at will, run through the woods if he so wished—the night was his. No human ever wandered through these woods at night.

As he passed a familiar tree stump, he realized that he was heading along his usual trail to the old Ackerman house by the river. He slowed in his footsteps, wondering why he allowed himself to fall back into such a habit. He stopped walking, thinking that perhaps Mikasa and Armin were right in trying to convince him for years to yield in his search, when a breeze came from the direction of the riverbank and caused his entire body to tense.

The scent carried on the wind made his heart start to race and his feet to instinctively move toward it, moving to shift as he began to ran, although he carried his shorts in his mouth so he wouldn’t be without them later. Within a moment he was no longer on feet, but large, heavy paws, carrying him as he followed the scent trail. His dark brown fur shone in the moonlight as he moved, knowing in his mind with certainty that he couldn’t be wrong. Not this time.

It wasn’t until he eventually came to the house, sniffing around that he realized that this scent was fresh.

He was here. He had to be, if he hadn’t left again already. Eren’s heart sank at the thought of such a false hope again. This thought spurred him on, making him pause and perk his ears, listening for movement. Within a few minutes, he heard the slightest creek of wood like someone shifting weight from their heels to their toes in preparation to flit away—something that Levi would do if he knew Eren was looking for him. Eren decided to shift in retaliation, slipping his shorts on as he shouted, “I know you’re here, Levi! I can hear you. I can smell you.”

He was met with infuriating silence.

And then, suddenly, he was there, standing on the front porch of the house like he was there the whole time. Eren abruptly became painfully away he was standing in just shorts while the man he’d been awaiting for nearly ten years stood before him in black dress pants and a dress shirt, looking as handsome as the night Eren first saw him.

They held gazes, Levi’s dark eyes clear with perceptiveness and his lips parted ever so slightly in quiet astonishment, his fingers twitching toward Eren like he longed to touch him.

“Eren,” Levi breathed. The light of the moon reflected in his eyes, and Eren was left speechless.


	2. If I Love You, Why Am I Dyin'?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which Eren finds what he's looking for, Levi claims what is his, and Erwin is not the bad guy

Eren couldn't believe the sight before him.

Levi was as beautiful as the last time he saw him.

"Levi..." Eren didn't have the slightest clue of what to say. He wanted to scream at Levi for leaving without a word, he wished he had scathing enough words to burn him the way he did Eren, and yet he wondered if there were enough words to tell Levi just how horribly he's ached for him to return. "Ten years," was what he spit out, face contorting into hurt and anger. "Ten _fucking_ years, Levi."

The tenderness within Levi's eyes left and they became stormy as he ran up to Eren - which to his eyes, looked like he disappeared then reappeared a foot from him. "You don't think I wanted to come back? That I couldn't feel you from all those miles away?" This confirmed Eren's fear: Levi could feel every ounce of his heartache for the last decade and did absolutely nothing about it. "You've had my blood, Eren--of course I knew your pain. I felt both your pain _and_ mine. It was meant to be for your own good."

Eren growled, the sound coming from deep within his chest, as he took a step toward Levi. Levi responded by putting his hand in the center of Eren's bare chest, the cold stoniness of his skin making Eren's growl halt; he had forgotten how much like marble Levi felt. From this close, he could see the blue tint in Levi's eyes and smell so clearly the scent of him he could practically taste him. His senses were enveloped in Levi and it was filling him with an array of emotions he had forgotten he knew in the past decade. His anger was becoming dissipated into bitter sorrow. "Why did you leave me?" His heart was racing underneath Levi's hand, and he wondered if Levi could feel it break all those years ago.

Levi withdrew his hand as he felt Eren's emotions shift. "You deserved a better life. One without my meddling. My presence hindered you from joining a pack, which you need." When he felt Eren's anger start to return, he snapped, "Stop being thick-headed-- _you are a werewolf_ , and your kind doesn't bode in solitude well.”

The response seemed like something out of a poor romance novel; it made Eren's stomach churn. Levi's eyes followed Eren's jawline with a sharp gaze, watching Eren clench his jaw. Eren knew Levi could feel the waves of his emotions rolling over him. In a way, it was a blessing--Eren wouldn't have to try to sputter out what couldn't be possibly put into words. Sometimes he wished it worked the opposite way so that he could know what Levi was thinking past his stoic expression.

"I am sorry," Levi offered, his tone warm but somber. "I can't apologize enough to atone for the wrong I've done to you." He finally reached out to caress Eren's cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. His eyes were examining all of Eren, seeing how the years have changed his appearance; he was somehow taller, his shoulders broader, his arms thicker and defined. Eren was a man and not the young adult he was when Levi saved him.

Eren wanted to retreat into Levi, hide in his arms and avoid the daylight; he also wanted to run and stew in his array of emotions. Levi saw this, felt it, and interrupted Eren’s thoughts with a question as he leaned in closer, their breaths mingling together. “Will you come inside?”

Being lead inside by the hand, Eren followed Levi, taking in the interior. Hardly anything changed—but there were some changes, and everything was pristinely cleaned. This made Eren pause as Levi shut the door.

“How long have you been back?”

Levi stilled behind Eren, certainly feeling the fiery anger ignite again within him. “Long enough. I’ve been careful to avoid being anywhere near where you dwell during the week the full moon happens, seeing as you like to shift and search when the moon reigns strongest over you.” There was an abrupt nature in how honest Levi was that Eren had forgotten Levi carried in how he handled others. The answer he gave was infuriating to Eren, and it cut open the wound Levi left even deeper. “I understand that you are unhappy with me, but do not doubt that I wished to be with you the entirety of my absence. I never wanted to leave.”

“Then why did you?” Eren snapped, whipping around and stepping forward until he was nearly nose to nose with Levi, a low growl emitting from him.

“I was working with Erwin. He forbade me as my maker from abandoning our mission, so I could not physically make contact with you once until he allowed.”

“Bullshit.” Levi held his ground, unblinking as he held Eren’s gaze, head tilted back to be able to do so. “Maker or not, if you wanted to leave, then you could have.”

Levi’s eyes were dark, his entire expression stormy. “Eren, you have no idea the relationship between a maker and his progeny. You have no grasp on the meaning of being commanded by your maker because you _wolves_ have no such binding power. I _literally_ have _no_ physical means of disobeying such a command.”

Eren knew that Levi was right. “What changed, then?”

He was met with a heavy sigh in response, the storm in Levi’s eyes dissipating. “You’re in danger. Erwin permitted me to come back to you—to protect you. War is upon our doorstep.” Levi glanced out the window, then at the watch upon his wrist. “Dawn will come soon. May I call on you tomorrow?”

Eren nodded, unsure of what to say. He had a feeling that he wouldn’t get any answers tonight, so he decided to opt for making up for lost time instead. “Only if you kiss me now.” Almost as the words left his mouth, he was met with Levi’s lips, and their hands wandered to hold one another impossibly closer. Eren forgot how cool Levi was to the touch yet how much fiery passion he held within his being. He had missed Levi, he missed their hot and cold relationship, and he missed how evenly they matched one another in temperament while allowing that passion to meld into how they kissed and became one.

* * *

Dawn came too soon, and Levi went to ground—literally. He still had the same trap door underneath the floorboards in a small closet where he hid a coffin that he went to sleep in during the day. Eren left and opted to walk home, the sun warming his skin, his mind wandering as he reminisced on the first time he had ever met Erwin—the first time he saw Levi submit to another being within the year they spent together, practically inseparable.

* * *

The fireplace was crackling within the old Ackerman house and Eren was laying on the soft rug beside it, lazily looking over to the doorway to the kitchen. “Levi, isn’t the tea done already?” As if on cue, the vampire reentered with a mug of tea in one hand, pausing at the sight of Eren in sweatpants yet still shirtless. “What?”

“You’re ephemeral,” Levi replied, finally stepping back over. He was sporting a plain black shirt and fitted black sweatpants and he still somehow carried a demeanor of regality. Handing Eren his mug of tea, he sat beside him. “Don’t you ever overheat? You’re already a natural furnace as it is.”

Eren shrugged, sipping his tea—earl grey, sweetened with honey. “At least it keeps you warm at night,” he smirked behind his mug. Levi was not laughing, however, instead stilling, his expression stony. Eren set his mug down and reached out, touching Levi’s cheek. “Levi, I’m sorry—“

“Be quiet.”

Eren furrowed his brow, now confused—he couldn’t smell anything abnormal, but he still listened for something he knew he wouldn’t hear before Levi. Suddenly, Levi stood and faced away from Eren, baring his fangs at a new figure who was in the room; Eren jumped to his feet and released a low growl, his inner wolf snarling at this intruder. This person—no, vampire, Eren could smell—was taller than Eren, blonde with a strong jawline and broad shoulders, and he was dressed in a deep green button-up shirt and black dress pants. He was grinning but it quickly changed to baring his own fangs at Eren, his piercing blue eyes locked on him.

“I see you’ve found yourself a pet, Levi,” the stranger laughed, looking down upon Eren.

“This is not a good time, Erwin,” Levi spat back, moving to stand in front of Eren, who was determined to not break his gaze away from this stranger.

Eren was dangerously close to shifting, his eyes glowing a brilliant gold as he growled. Erwin laughed, taking a step toward the pair. “You’re out of your league, dog.” He turned to Levi and spoke as if he was chastising a child: “Put your fangs away. You know better.”

“I’m telling you to leave, Erwin—this is none of your business—“ Levi tried to stand between the two, but as Erwin walked toward Eren, he looked down at Levi, authority in his voice as he said, “ _As your maker, I command you to step aside and put up your fangs_.”

Eren’s ferocity subsided for a moment as he watched Levi obey immediately, his fangs disappearing and taking several steps away, avoiding Eren’s gaze as he did so. “Levi—“ A cold, firm hand held his chin, forced to look Erwin in the eye.

“My, my,” Erwin purred, his fangs still bared but his lips stretched in a smile as he examined Eren up close, “you are beautiful. You reek of wolf, but you don’t actually stink of a true werewolf…” Erwin leaned closer as if he was going to bite Eren, to taste him, but he stopped when Levi yelled out in a dark tone Eren hadn’t ever heard before.

“He is _mine._ ”

Erwin pulled back, looking into Eren’s eyes as he spoke again, his nose twitching as he smelled him again. “Pity.” He relaxed his grip, still holding Eren’s face in his hands. “Your eyes hold the image of the ocean reflecting the sun…something I haven’t seen in over two thousand years.” There was a curious gleam within Erwin’s eyes that unsettled Eren. “What _are_ you?”

The question confused Eren even more. Nonetheless, he couldn't submit his spirit to this stranger. "None of your damn business, you fucking fanger." This earned him a tighter grip from Erwin. 

"Now, now," Erwin grinned. His fangs set Eren on edge, sending a shiver down his spine. "Maybe Levi can teach you some manners before the next time I visit."

* * *

 Eren hummed to himself as he came back upon home. That encounter was months before Levi vanished, but he was surprised after the odd friendship he developed with Erwin after that encounter. Erwin at least wrote to Eren while they were gone, even if it was just on his birthday. The postcards came from all places, a different one each year. Of course there was never anything about Levi or what they were doing in his writings, but he still assured Eren that they were alive and well and missed Shiganshina and it's inhabitants.

As Eren stepped inside, he was ambushed by Mikasa almost immediately.

" _Eren_ _Jaeger_!" She screamed furiously, pushing him on his chest. "Where the hell have you been? We've been worried sick!" Armin came around the corner with his arms crossed, a concerned look on his face. Eren looked between the two of them, surprised at the cold welcome he was receiving. "Eren, don't tell me you went looking for that short bastard--"

"He's back," Eren interrupted, making Mikasa's chiding fall short. She furrowed her brow impossibly deeper, folding her arms as she awaited an explanation. "I wasn't looking, but he was there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real plot will come shortly. Also, please let me know what you think! I'll also answer any questions concerning lore for any of those unfamiliar with the True Blood universe and the supernatural lore there since that's where I'm pulling that from.
> 
> Also Erwin is NOT the villain in this story. I like the idea of Erwin and Levi having a complicated, intricate relationship, but not an antagonistic one.


End file.
